


Starshine

by Juliets_Sands



Category: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Genre: Chocolate, F/M, lots of chocolate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 13:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13249533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juliets_Sands/pseuds/Juliets_Sands
Summary: Thalia Bucket, the older and only sister of Charlie Bucket. When her little brother becomes the owner of the fifth and final golden ticket, despite their grandfather's desire to go finds himself to ill to make the trip. So Charlie extends his plus one to his sister. Now the siblings become one of the first to see the mysterious man that was the most famous and extraordinary chocolatier in the world.





	1. Chapter 1

Another boring day, with no source of peculiar excitement. The occasional child wondering in unaccompanied by their parents, their pockets filled with their weekly allowance the kind of pocket money Thalia wished she could have. The spoiled little things demanding their desired sugary sweets, what she wouldn't do to have the delightfully wrapped treats to give to the only boy in her life she cared about most.

The brunette hummed to herself as she arranged the display window of the candy shop, she begins to think about her little brother, Charlie. It did not matter how much overtime she decided to do, her families struggle made it impossible to get her brother a gift for his upcoming birthday. She was aware her parents would get him the same Wonka candy bar as every year, it was a sweet gesture as she received the same gift as well. It was simply her wanting to make her brothers birthday that much sweeter. She wasn't too sure if her parents or grandparents knew the things that Charlie had confided to her. The other children in town ridiculed him for his lack of money, and she knew it was wrong to put such stress on an eleven-year-old boy.

"Ms. Bucket," Thalia jumped out of her thoughts as someone tapped her shoulder, she turned to see her boss standing over her, "I apologize for startling you. I wanted to let you know you're free to go for the evening."

Thalia smiled grateful to be able to go home before sundown for once. She couldn't complain too much about that one though, seeing how she was one who was often caught convincing her boss to give her extra work hours.

"Thank you, Mr. Fetz." She said as she heads towards the back of the store to collect her things. There wasn't very much, except a ratty old trench coat that had once belonged to her father making it three sizes too big for her small frame, and then a knitted purse that her mother had made, when their family had once had just a bit of extra money for Mrs. Bucket to pick up a short-lived hobby. Still, she waved goodbye to Mr. Fetz as she stepped out of the candy store, nearly running into an extravagantly dressed man in a top hat. She muttered a quick apology before shuffling down the snowy sidewalk.

Finally, after a quick two block walk, Thalia was shivering as she stepped through the slanted doorway of her home.

"I'm home!" She smiled as she was then greeted by a chorus of "Welcome's." Making sure to hang up her coat and purse, Thalia joined her mother in their cramped kitchen space. The mother of two was already working on dinner, so the daughter offered to help.

"I got it dear don't worry, why don't you help your brother with his homework? He's been struggling."

So she did, crossing her legs as she joined her brother at the table surrounded by his school books. The two became occupied with a set of math problems, Thalia patiently explaining the process at least eight times before her brother seemed to understand.

"Leah you're really smart," Charlie noted, making his sister show her modest side as she denied it. Though the young boy wasn't wrong if Thalia had stayed to finish high school rather than dropping out to support her family when they hit a road of rough struggles she would have been in a better place financially.

"You better stay in school, don't do what I did Alright?" Her tone was threatening, just as if she were a parent Thalia wanted nothing but the best for her brother. Soon they finished his work, just in time as their father walked through the door, greeting everyone. He spoke with his wife briefly before joining his children at the table.

"Charlie, I found something I think you'll like." He smiled as he dug through his coat pocket before pulling out what he was looking for. He placed a handful of deformed toothpaste caps in front of his son. To any spoiled child, the move would have induced a tantrum, but Charlie was grinning excitedly as he picked up one of the caps, it appeared as though two caps had been molded together.

"It's exactly what I need! Come on, Leah!" Charlie jumped out of his chair, soliciting the help of his sister to pull out his miniature model of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

"What is it, Charlie?" Grandpa Joe asked as the child placed the newest addition to what appeared to be a figure of a person.

"Dad found it, just the piece I needed." Charlie stepped back to look at his now finished product, Thalia smiled as she silently praised her brothers work.

"What piece was it?" Joe asked again as both of his grandchildren stood beside him.

"A head for Willy Wonka." He smiled proudly, as the family admired the boy's creation.

"It's quite a likeness," Joe said as he squinted through the glasses he wore.

"You think so?" Charlie asked as he looked up at his sister, "What do you think, Leah?"

Thalia smiled as she bent down to her brother's height, "I think it's beautiful." Hearing his sisters adoration made Charlie beam brighter after all the siblings were close, one could say best friends.

"Think so? I know so," Grandpa Joe said, "I saw Willy Wonka with my own two eyes." Charlie looked at his grandfather surprised to hear this, as he believed he had heard every story his grandfather was able to tell him, "I used to work for him you know."

"You did?" Charlie asked in wonder as he sat on the bed beside his grandfather. Thalia joined on the floor, leaning against the bed as she listened to Joe begin his story.

"Willy Wonka began with a single store on Cherry Street, but the whole world wanted his candy." Joe explained as he went back to his past, when life was just a bit easier, "The man was a genius! Did you know he invented a new way of making chocolate ice cream so that it stays cold for hours without a freezer? You can even leave it lying in the sun on a hot day and it won't go runny."

"But that's impossible!" Thalia denied her grandpa's words as he looked at her with a smile.

"But Willy Wonka did it." From the way he said it, Thalia understood that she couldn't argue it. Though she had and would probably never meet Willy Wonka it was obvious Joe held a form of respect for the candy maker.

"Before long, he decided to build a proper chocolate factory, the largest chocolate factory in history!"

"Grandpa, don't make it gross!" Charlie complained as Joe went on to describe kissing his wife at the opening ceremony of the chocolate factory.

"Alright, time to put your stories on hold. It's time to eat!" Mrs. Bucket laughed as she began to ladle hot cabbage soup into the oddities of bowls the family owned. Soon enough everyone sat around the bed that the four elders in the house share. Grandpa Joe continued telling stories of Willy Wonka. This time about an Indian Prince who desired an entire palace made of chocolate.

Thalia could only imagine how that turned out, having tons of melted chocolate cave in on you. Then again she could only imagine how idiotic it was to want a chocolate palace in the middle of India. It was a silly idea and a silly story.

"The prince sent an urgent telegram requesting a new palace, but Willy Wonka was facing problems of his own."

"What kind of problems could a candy maker face?" Thalia inquired, as to her the idea of making and creating new candy was only a dream.

"If you must know the candy business is a tough business. As the other chocolate makers you see had grown jealous of Mr. Wonka. The began sending in spies to steal his secret recipes." Joe spoke sadly as he remembered the events leading up to him losing his job, the leading cause of his families poor nature.

"Fickelgruber started making an ice cream that would never melt. Prodnose came out with a chewing gum that never lost its flavor. Then Slugworth began making candy balloons that you could blow up to incredible sizes. Still, the thievery got so bad that one day, without a warning Mr. Wonka told every single one of his workers to go home. He soon announced that he was closing his chocolate factory forever."

"But it didn't close forever!" Charlie stated as he ate his soup, "It's open right now!"

"Ah, yes, well sometimes when grownups say forever they mean a very long time." Mrs. Bucket explained as she spoke to her son.

"But that doesn't seem right, to put all those poor people out of work. Without notice? It isn't fair to his workers." Thalia huffed as she sipped the last of the soup from her bowl. Grandpa Joe smiled sadly as he ruffled his granddaughter's hair. She muttered in complaint, but the smile on her face was impossible to miss.

"It felt like it was going to be closed forever. Until one day we saw smoke rising from the chimneys. The factory was back in business."

"But you didn't get your job back?" Thalia asked as she pushed herself up off the floor.

"No, No one did." The family looked into their bowls for a moment of silence as they recalled different versions of the same memory.

"But there must be people working there!" Charlie stated as he looked around.

"Think about it, Charlie. Have you ever seen a single person going into that factory?" Charlie only shook his head at his grandmother.

"Hasn't anyone asked Mr. Wonka?"

"Nobody sees him anymore, He never comes out. At least if he does no one must recognize him anymore. Still, the only thing that commonly comes out of that place is the candy, already packed and addressed."

"Alright, well I think it's time to let your grandparents get some sleep. Come on, both of you!" Mrs. Bucket motioned for her two children to get ready for bed. Thalia said goodnight to each of her grandparents respectively. She followed her brother up the ladder that leads to the small attic-like space the siblings shared. It was cramped, saving room for only one bed for them to share.

"What do you think the factory looks like?" Charlie asked after the rest of their family went to bed. The siblings were looking through the hole in their roof at the dark silhouette of the familiar chocolate factory that dominated one side of the town.

"Well, there's probably rooms assigned to each candy. Could you imagine a room made of cotton candy? It'd be like jumping on a cloud."

"A river of chocolate?"

"I bet he has twenty." Thalia giggled as her brother turned to face her, curling up beneath their shared blanket. She threw her arm over him as if he were a child she were consoling.


	2. Chapter 2

Thalia awoke before the rest of her family, except for her father who by now had already left for the toothpaste factory. She was always required to be the first at the candy shop in order to clean up and arrange candy displays before the doors opened.

So as quietly as she could, Thalia brushed her hair, washed her face, and grabbed a slice of stale bread on her way out the door. Wrapping her coat around her body as she shuffled down the street. It seemed to have snowed again last night and gotten colder. The change in temperature was noticeable as the wind nipped at her nose and cheeks, turning them a new shade of red. Yet despite the cold air, there was a group of people huddled around a pole, a piece of paper nailed to it. Looking around, it was noticeable that the same message had been pinned up in multiple places. She had to push herself towards the front until she was able to easily read the sign.

Dear people of the world, I, Willy Wonka, have decided to allow five children to visit my factory this year. In addition, one of these children shall receive a special prize beyond anything you could ever imagine.

Her heart beat fast in her chest as she finished reading the message. Five golden tickets were currently hiding in five Wonka chocolate bars, and the could be anywhere in the world. How happy were her brother be if he were to be the owner of one? Thalia could think of no one more deserving of this opportunity than her brother. Still, she couldn't hang around outside much longer, her hands had gone numb buried in her coat pockets. Not soon enough, she arrives at the store.

Still greeted by cold air as she entered, as the heaters were not left on during the night. That was her first stop, as she would now keep her coat on for at least another hour before the candy store successfully grew warm enough to where she didn't need it. It seemed news traveled fast as even before she was supposed to open the doors, there were countless people lined up outside Fetz Candy Parlor. As always they had mysteriously received their shipment of Wonka Bars last night, leaving her to set them all out, and wondering if she had possibly already placed a golden ticket on the shelves. She also didn't see the point in carefully setting up a display as it was obvious it was only going to be torn apart once the store opened.

She kept her thoughts back, as a few more workers arrive to help. Sooner than she would have liked it was time to open. Never had she seen so many desperate people run into a store before, people were yelling and shoving each other to the point she was terrified the police were going to have to be called.

Customers proceeded to not just yell at each other but to the staff as well. Herself included, and she would have been able to deal without the insults as she tried to get rid of people as quick as she could. The number of demands and taunts were enough to make anyone mad, and it was when they were out of candy bars that the real problem began.

"I'm sorry ma'am but we really are out of Wonka Bars," Thalia spoke, her voice holding an eerie calmness, a warning that she was only seconds away from having a meltdown. By now her coworkers had stepped in.

"Are you sure or are you hogging them to yourself? I know where you come from, your families nothing but smelly dumpster divers." The words stabbed her in a sensitive spot, it was a one-time occurrence, after all, desperate times called for desperate measures. Still, it hurt for anyone to bring it up, and it had been so long she believed everyone had either forgotten it or just didn't care anymore.

"Ma'am I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Her boss arrived as a fellow worker followed after him. It seemed the girl knew that neither of them were going to be able to deal with the rowdy customer who was insulting them for apparently "ruining her son's childhood."

"You Alright? Both of you?" Fetz asked as he approached his two workers, "It's going to be hectic for a few days if anything it would have been nice if we were given a notice for this." The store owner muttered as he decided it would be best to stay in the front of the store.

It seems Wonka has a thing for spontaneous actions.

Thalia noted as she finished her day at work. It was assumingly calmer, only a few other out of hand customers that had to be escorted out of the store. This search for golden tickets was really bringing out the greed in people. Thalia's shift ended, to her relief she really didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to handle any more people.

"Thalia?" Mr Fetz had followed the young woman to the back room, she turned to look at him, "I know your family doesn't have much money, and I know you struggle. I also know it's your brothers birthday coming up, so I wanted to give you this." Thalia gasped as her boss held up Wonka bar.

"But we sold out?" She sputtered as she took the gift from the man.

"I may or may not have snuck one so I could give it to you, I'm sure you're brother will love it." Thalia beamed as she continued to give her boss countless thank you's before actually heading home. The bar safely tucked away in her purse, oh she wondered if she'd even be able to wait for her brothers birthday to give him his gift. She doubted her parents could either, now that the anticipation of finding all the golden tickets loomed over their heads.

Upon arriving home, Thalia was instantly bombarded by her brother. From what she could gather someone had already found a golden ticket. It was, to be blunt about it a day kid who unapologetically pulled out another candy bar and proceeded to shove his face in the middle of the interview. Grandpa George was yelling "I knew it!" While her mother just shook her head as she continued cleaning the house. Her father was already home, helping his wife.

Augustus Gloop was a repulsive boy, whose parents may have simply been trying to kill him by giving him constant sweets. Still that now only left four golden tickets to be found.

For now, Thalia kept the Wonka bar hidden in her purse, keeping it a secret even from her parents. 

 

A few more days passed before another ticket was found, a spoiled brat by the name of Veruca Salt. With what could be guessed as an alcoholic mother and a father who was trying his best but only making his daughter even worse of a tyrant. It sort of saddened Thalia hearing that they didn't even eat the chocolate, simply unwrapped them and threw them away when they didn't have the golden ticket. Though it didn't matter what Thalia thought in this situation.

"She's even worse than the fat boy." Grandpa George muttered as he looked away from the television. Thalia was sitting with her grandparents on the bed, Charlie sitting in her lap to save up space.

"I didn't think that was really fair. She didn't find the ticket herself." Charlie complained as he titled his head back to look at his sister. She simply gave him an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry about it, Charlie." Joe said as he looked between the boy and the television, "The man spoils his daughter, and no good ever comes from spoiling a child like that." After Grandpa Joe finished speaking, Mr. and Mrs. Bucket rushes inside from the cold. The both of them were smiling happily as they approached the group piled onto the bed.

"Charlie, mum and I thought maybe you want to open your birthday present tonight."

Charlie was instantly just as happy as his parents, as his father turned off the telly, and his mother handed him a small rectangular wrapped object. He obviously already knew what it was. It was a Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight Wonka bar, Charlie's favorite. He stared at it for a moment, Thalia assumed he was worried about not getting the ticket.

"Maybe I should wait until morning?" He asked as he looked at his parents, this lets her know for sure, Charlie was afraid of giving his hopes up.

"Like hell." Grandpa George said, earning a glare from Thalia for the cursing. Mr. Bucket was already on his father about it.

"All together we're 402 years old. We don't wait." Joe laughed as he persuaded Charlie to unwrap his chocolate bar.

"Now, Charlie, you mustn't feel too disappointed. You know, if you don't get the...." Their Mother trailed off as she looked at her son.

"Whatever happens, you'll still have the candy." His father added as Charlie nodded in understanding. Then the only sound in the small house was the sound of crinkling tin foil as Charlie unwrapped his birthday gift. Though when he jerked the foil away, the anticipation dwindled away when it was revealed that there was no golden ticket.

"Ah, well. That's that." Joe broke the silence, as Thalia could almost feel her brothers disappointment.

"We'll share it."

"Oh no, Charlie! Not your birthday present."

"It's my candy bar, and I'll do what I want with it," Charlie stated as he proceeded to break the candy bar into pieces, handing each of his family members a piece. Thalia ate her piece slowly in order to savor the delicious treat.

Later that night when everyone else was in bed, and the siblings were once again the only two awake Thalia slipped out the bar her boss had given her. Charlie's eyes widened at the sight.

"Mr. Fetz gave me this to give to you."

Unfortunately, this one as well held no golden ticket, but it was still special to both of them after all such delicacies were rare to receive in the Bucket household. They laughed in the dark while they ate the chocolate, and fell asleep to dreams of what lied behind the walls of the chocolate factory.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think Charlie's parents' first names were ever mentioned and upon looking it up I couldn't find any. So, for now, I'm going to make my own.

"Why don't you tell a story?" Charlie asked as he looked up at his sister, once again the whole family was sipping hot bowls of cabbage soup, sitting around their grandparent's bed. The question had been aimed at Thalia, who was growing increasingly lethargic as the days went on and it was still near impossible to keep Wonka Bars on the shelf. Due to her lack of energy and patience, she had to be taken to the back of the store on multiple occasions to keep her from cursing at customers. It was after the fifth time that her boss finally told her to go home and get some rest, then and only then would she be able to return.

Something she was grateful for as if she had anyone else as a boss she without a doubt would have been fired.

"Which one?" Thalia pushes herself up, turning herself around so she was kneeling beside the bed facing everyone else.

"Tell the one about the fox and the bear, sweetheart?" Alana said as she smiled at her daughter. Thalia nodded as she began her tale of a dastardly fox that with an air of arrogance, decided to steal from a bear den.

"And then as the fox with confidence believed he would get away with his found treasures, there was a mighty roar. The bear had returned to find his belongings stolen. Now the fox may have been fast, he was no match for the keen nose of the bear. No matter how far he ran, there was no doubt the bear would find him." Thalia smirked as she jumped onto the bed, startling everyone as she crouched down her voice getting lower.

"Then one day without warning, while the fox was bathing in the river. The bear had finally come to the end of its search, he stalked the fox for hours. Waiting, waiting, and waiting. Until....." Suddenly Thalia jumped at her brother, making him scream as his sister imitated growls and tickled his sides. Everyone around them found themselves laughing as Charlie now pretended to be dead, his tongue sticking out of his mouth, "And finally the bear had struck his revenge on the thief. The end." Thalia grinned as her family began to clap as she took a dramatic bow, she jumped off the bed.

"Or did he?" Charlie asked as he pounced onto his sisters back. Everyone gasped dramatically, as the continued to laugh all their struggles momentarily forgotten as they listened to Thalia's stories and the improvised plays that came along with them. Unfortunately, too soon it was time for bed, and after a round of good nights, and I love you's everyone was bundled up in their beds. Charlie was the last one to fall asleep, staring through the hole in the roof at the factory. Oh how badly he wished he could go, with grandpa Joe and Thalia with him. He silently prayed that night, that he would find a golden ticket, he didn't know how it would happen, he just wished that he would.

 

Two more golden tickets had been found, one by an annoying gum chewing blonde girl by the name Violet Beauregard. She was awfully arrogant to the point the Thalia was tempted to punch the television screen when her interview came on. The fourth ticket was found by a bratty little boy, Mike Teavee, who was just a little cheat who apparently didn't even like chocolate. The whole thing was unfair, at least to her because from what she could tell these kids weren't deserving of the tickets they had found. Still, that left one golden ticket, and now it was a countdown and even more chaotic as people scrambled to find it.

That same night, Thalia talked to her parents. It seemed her father had been laid off, meaning she was now the only one working in the family. That kind of stress was closing into being unbearable as money was tighter than ever. They managed after all they had made it through worse.

"I could always take extra hours, offer to take people's shifts if they can't make it," Thalia said as she stood outside with her parents, her small frame shivering beneath her oversized coat. Her brown hair tied up into a bun with a piece of string that she had found earlier that day.

"We were barely making ends meet as it was," Joseph said as he looked at his wife and daughter, Mrs. Bucket was currently hanging their laundry in the icy weather.

"Oh, you'll find another job. For now, Thalia's money will hold us over, and until then I'll just thin down the soup a bit more." Alana stated as she joined her husband by the rickety old fence, wrapping her arms around him, "And Thalia, sweetheart I don't want you working more than you have to. I don't want you to get overwhelmed."

Thalia nodded solemnly, her parents cared they always had. She also knew that despite their trying to hide it, she knew they felt guilty for her dropping out of school. She didn't blame them though, after all, it had been her choice, and she continues to apply what she learned to teach her brother. He would finish school, she refused to let him choose anything else. Then Charlie was zooming out the front door, Thalia barely managed to grab the boy by the back of his coat.

"And where are you going, young man?" Thalia asked as her brother looked ready to jump out of his shoes, he motioned for her to lean down.

"Grandpa gave me money to buy another Wonka Bar," He whispered in her ear as to not let their parents hear, "Want to come with?" Thalia nodded as she waved goodbye to her parents. Leaving both in confusion as they were not given a reason for their children's sudden departure. The two promptly returned to their grandfather, Charlie carefully shaking him awake as he held up the chocolate bar.

"Which end should we open first?" He asked as he looked at his grandchildren, Thalia had to keep herself from rolling her eyes as she squeezed her brothers shoulders anxiously.

"Just do it quick, like a band-aid," Charlie said, and the three looked away, squeezing their eyes shut tightly as the sound of crinkling foil filled the small space. Grandpa Joe was left holding an ordinary Wonka Bar, with no golden ticket. The three shared equally disappointed looks, but still, they enjoyed the chocolate in silence. It seemed as though Charlie was not going to be the fifth luck winner.

"Charlie!" Thalia wasn't quick enough to stop him as the young boy ran out of the house. Nearly trampling his parents as they shuffled back inside, Alana gasping in fright, Mr. Buckets barely able to catch the basket of laundry in time.

"It's best not to worry about it for now. He'll return soon." Both Thalia and Mrs. Bucket we're now worry stricken as Charlie had run off without a coat, and by now it had reached below freezing. It had been a half hour since he had run off, and now Joseph and Grandpa Joe were doing their best to calm down both women.

"We put his hopes up to high, it's my fault." Grandpa Joe said, trying to take the blame as he was the one who gave the boy the money to buy another Wonka Bar.

"No, it's not, Charlie's a good kid. I know he'll come back soon." Thalia smiled as she grabbed her grandpa's hand, squeezing it encouragingly.

"Mom! Dad!" There was the sound of yelling, and the familiar voice of Charlie, "I found it! The last golden ticket, it's mine!" He ran into the house still yelling, startling his grandparents awake. He held the ticket up for Grandpa Joe to look at, the old man having to squint dangerously hard to read it properly. Once he did, he smiled the brightest and widest smile Thalia had ever seen. Though instead of cheering like was expected, he erupted into a coughing fit.

"Grandpa!?"

Alana was by her father's side in an instant, Thalia approaching with a glass of water, "You're burning up. How long have you felt like this?" Mrs. Bucket asked as she hovered over Joe, now worried about his health. The joy of Charlie finding the last golden ticket was forgotten for a moment until Thalia pulled him aside.

"Here let me see," Thalia held out her hand, her brother setting the shining metallic ticket in her awaiting palm, "Aren't you just the luckiest kid in the world." She chuckled as she began reading the information on the ticket, and began reading it to Charlie.

"Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this golden ticket, from Mr. Willy Wonka. I shake you warmly by the hand. For now, I do invite you, to come to my factory, and be my guest for one whole day. I Willy Wonka will conduct you around the factory myself, showing you everything there is to see."

"Afterwards, when it is time to leave, you will be escorted home by a procession of large trucks, each one will be filled with all the chocolate you could ever eat. And remember one of you lucky five children will receive an extra prize beyond your wildest imagination Now here are your instructions: On the first of February, you must come to the factory gates at 10:00 am, sharp. You're allowed to bring one member of your family to look after you. Till then, Willy Wonka."

"First of February, but that's tomorrow!" Mrs. Bucket said, her eyes widened in realization.

"Then there's not a moment to lose, Charlie! Wash your face, comb your hair, scrub your hands, brush your teeth, blow your nose...." Grandpa Joe began rambling quickly, which only induced another coughing fit.

"Now we must all try and keep calm. The first thing that we have to decide is this: who is going with Charlie to the factory?"

"I'll go!" Grandpa Joe tried to sound cheery, but it was obvious he was far too ill to go. It broke Thalia's heart, as it was her grandfather's dream to be back inside that factory. Everyone was already arguing as Joe insisted that he was healthy enough to go.

"No, we're not going. A woman offered me $500 dollars for the ticket. I bet someone else would pay more, we need the money more than we need the chocolate." Charlie stated as Thalia smiled sadly at him. Of course, this was his decision to make, and she knew how kind her brother was, but could she really let him miss out on an opportunity like this?

"Young man, come here." Grandpa George beckoned Charlie over, the boy moving towards him cautiously, "There's plenty of money out there, they print more every day, but this ticket? There's only five of them in the whole world, and that's all there's ever going to be. Only a dummy would give this up for something as common as money. Are you a dummy?"

"No, sir." Charlie shook his head as he faced his grandfather.

"Then get that mud off your pants. You've got a factory to go to!" Grandpa George smiled as he seemed to be able to persuade Charlie to go. Now it was under debate who would go with him, seeing as Grandpa Joe was far too ill at the moment to be an escort.

"I'll take Leah then!" Charlie piped up, "I'm sorry Grandpa, I really am."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure you and your sister will have fun, and you'll come back and tell me everything won't you?" Joe asked as Charlie sat beside him, he nodded as he hugged his grandfather. Now that it had been decided, the Bucket household was quite a sight that night. Everyone anxiously waiting for 10 am, and no one questioned the choice to let Thalia be an escort. After all who was going to babysit her?


	4. Chapter 4

Thalia stood with Charlie, who was huddled in the excess room in her coat. The front gates of the factory were crowded, as countless cameras continued to go off as they waited for ten o'clock to come. The five groups were lined up, and the siblings stood between the Salt's and the Gloops, and she was beginning to wish she wasn't. As Mr. Salt was beginning to eye her in the most unflattering way, that she would have punched him in the face if it weren't for all cameras that would catch it. So she ignored it, pulling Charlie in closer as the golden ticket winners began to eye each other up. If she didn't know any better she would have believed they were all about to fight each other to the death.

"Daddy I want to go in," Veruca complained, her voice bratty with an accent that bothered Thalia.

"It's 9:59, sweetheart." Mr. Salt said as he checked his watch, he looked as if he were in pain as he spoke to his daughter.

"Make time go faster!" The fancy dressed child demanded as she glared at her father, she felt bad for the man, but then again it was his fault his daughter was a little demon. Augustus Gloop stood there with a blank look on his face, chomping down on a Wonka Bar in the most unappetizing way. It made her never want to eat chocolate again if she were being honest.

Then the gates finally opened, Charlie looked up at his sister excitedly, it seemed he was glad he didn't give the ticket away.

"Please enter!" A male voice spoke through a set of speakers, and simultaneously the group stepped into the gates. They were all the first ones to be here in fifteen years. Some of them were just a bit too eager to get inside as Thalia had to step back to keep herself from being knocked over by the fat kid.

"Come...forward." So they were all going to need instructions on how to enter the place, how lovely. They all took another step forward, and began walking towards the large front doors of the factory, "Close the gates." She didn't need to look back as she heard the loud clang of metal as the factory gates shut behind them.

"Dear visitors, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to my humble factory." The voice spoke again, and then there was the sound of an organ being played, "and who am I? Well..." he trailed off as they approached what Thalia thought were doors. Instead they moved away to reveal bright red curtains that then pulled apart to reveal a stage with a bunch of puppets. The music grew louder as the puppets began to sing. They proceeded to sing about how amazing Willy Wonka was, and Thalia found herself smiling as she watched the performance. The song came to an end, as a throne lifted out from beneath the stage. There was nobody in it, as sparks erupted from multiple places, and soon the whole stage was being lit by flames.

Thalia giggled as she clapped, only stopping when she realized she was the only one doing so, except for an extravagantly purple-clad man with a top hat. He stood beside Mr. Salt as everyone else took to looking at him like he was crazy.

"Wasn't that magnificent? I was worried it was getting a little dodgy in the middle part, but then that finale...wow!" He grinned, wearing large circular sunglasses which was even weirder considering the sun was still covered by the clouds. He then began ascending the steps to look at all of them.

"Who are you?" Violet sneered as she continued to chomp on her gum. Though Thalia had listened to her grandfather's stories of Willy Wonka for years, to the point she didn't need to ever see the man to know who he was, also it was obvious who he was considering no one else would have been able to get into the factory.

"He's Willy Wonka, obviously," Thalia stated, as Charlie cocked his head to the side.

"Really?" There seemed to be a moment of silence that passed, as everyone's earlier expectations seemed to lower greatly, but Thalia didn't find herself disappointed.

"Good morning, Starshine. The earth says hello!" The silence continued, along with the crackling fire behind him. Mr. Wonka looked at the ground, before pulling out a stack of note cards.

"Dear guests, greetings. Welcome to the factory. I shake you warmly by the hand," he extended a hand, but was quick to take it back as no one moved to shake it, "My name is Willy Wonka." He ended with an awkward laugh as he looked at the group before him.

"Then shouldn't you be up there?" Veruca asked as she pointed to the throne on stage, it was on fire.

"Well I couldn't very well watch the show from up there, now, could I little girl?" He replied, making the two siblings look at each other and giggle. Veruca only glared, but Mr. Wonka ignored her, looking at the two who were laughing. At least someone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Let's get a move on, kids" he smiled, as they walked through the remains of the still smoldering stage.

"Don't you want to know our names?" August's asked, surprisingly not having a glob of chocolate shoved in his mouth. Thalia kept her and Charlie near the back, she didn't like these people, it seemed the interviews didn't lie about these beastly children.

"Can't imagine how it would matter. Come quickly far too much to see!" Mr. Wonka seemed ready to abandon them as he walked much faster than everyone else, leaving a large space between him and his guests, "Just drop your coats anywhere." He said as they group found themselves in a large and humid hallway, there was only a long red carpet lining the vast space. Thalia slipped her coat off, revealing her less than brand new outfit, as it seemed almost everyone else but Charlie and her were wearing off the rack items. She didn't miss the way the others were looking at them, what was she supposed to do? Apologize for being less fortunate than them? She'd knock them on their bums before she did that.

"Mr Wonka, sure is toasty in here." Mr Teavee said as he slipped out of his beige colored coat.

"What!? Oh yeah," the chocolatier turned around, seeming to be almost surprised that someone was addressing him, now that he had removed his glasses Thalia couldn't lie that the man was attractive, "I have to keep it warm in here because my workers are used to an extremely hot climate." He explained, addressing the group as a whole, "They just can't stand the cold."

"Who are the workers?" Charlie asked, hoping for the question he had asked his family a few nights ago.

"All in good time," the man said as he then turned around, "Now," He began to walk, Violet catching up to the man. She then began to hug him, Thalia cringed herself as Mr. Wonka gasped. What kind of person hugged a random man they've never met before?

"Mr. Wonka, I'm Violet Beauregard," Violet stared proudly, still chomping away at her gum.

"Oh, I don't care." Thalia concluded that she liked this man, very blunt and seemed to be taking nothing from nobody. They then began their walk down then hall once again. Violet seemed to be on a mission has she moved quickly.

"Well, you should care, because I'm the girl who's going to win the special prize at the end."

What made this girl feel so entitled, Thalia really hated to be the one adult that hated on a child, but seriously these kids were a mess.

"Well you do seem confident, and confidence is key." Mr. Wonka said, and Thalia couldn't keep herself from trying not to laugh but managed to cover it with a cough. Charlie giggled, as his sister leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"It's more of being arrogant," she whispered, making Charlie laugh. He covered his mouth with his hands as the group turned to look at the two siblings, Mr. Wonka included.

"I'm Veruca Salt!" The posh girl stepped in front of the candy maker, making him gasp again stepping back as she held out her hand, "It's very nice to meet you, Sir" Since when did the little she-devil turn into an angel?

"I always thought a veruca was a type of wart you got on the bottom of your foot." Thalia had to cover her mouth to hide the smile that was threatening to take over her face, Veruca glared at the man until Augustus stepped in front of her then she just looked disgusted. Well, Thalia couldn't complain about that one, the young boy was quiet repulsive as he was once again shoving a chocolate bar in his already chocolate covered face.

"I'm Augustus Gloop, I love your chocolate." Didn't they all, considering that's why...wait never mind three out of five kids here really didn't come for chocolate. One was a spoiled brat who only wanted a golden ticket because she could, the other an arrogant gum-chewing champion who really just wanted to make mommy proud and win a secret prize, the other a boy who cheated the system and didn't even eat chocolate. The only thing the Buckets had in common with the Gloop's was the seemed to actually enjoy the candy.

"I can see that, so do I. I never expected to have so much in common." The sarcasm was almost unbearable, Mr. Wonka was prepared to begin walking again, but he stopped and turned around the look at Mike Teavee, "You. You're Mike Teavee, you're the little devil who cracked the system," He then turned to look at Charlie, who was still holding onto his sister's hand, though instead of looking annoyed like he had with all the others, he actually smiled what Thalia could assume was a genuine smile, "And you, Well you're just lucky to be here, aren't you?" He looked up at Thalia, she seemed a bit young to him to be a parent.

"And the rest of you must be there p-" He seemed to be struggling to say the word, and finally Mr. Salt spoke up.

"Parents."

"Yeah, Moms and Dads," And then suddenly he wasn't smiling anymore as he looked at the ground, "Dad? Papa?"

"Except for Leah," Charlie spoke up after a moment, seeming to drag Mr. Wonka out of his memories.

"What?"

"Oh well, um Leah's my sister, not my mom." Charlie fidgeted as he seemed to draw attention to himself.

"Okay, then, Let's move along." Mr. Wonka broke the silence as he spun back around, and they were once again walking down the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

I just wanted to apologize for my absence I was dealing with a lot of personal things.

"Is it just me, or does Wonka seem a few quarters short of a buck?" Mr. Teavee whispered as he talked to Mr. Salt. Thalia rolled her eyes, some people just don't get it, this man almost had his whole life's work stolen, and had kindly allowed them inside the factory for the first time in fifteen years. The least he could do was keep his insults to himself.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak American," Mr. Salt walked away, moving as far away as he could from Mr. Teavee.

"Would you like some chocolate?" Thalia watched as Augustus held out his candy bar to her brother, and for a second she changed her attitude towards the kid, except when Charlie said yes the next words out of his mouth had her almost decking a preteen. She really needed to control her violent thoughts, before she lost all impulse control. These kids were assholes. Finally, they stopped in front of a door, a small door, a very very small door.

"An important room this. After all, it is a chocolate factory."

"Then why is the door so small?" Mike complained as Thalia grew annoyed. Did this child have no imagination?

"That's to keep all the great big chocolaty flavor inside!" Was the man's reply, as he unlocked the door, but the door wasn't actually that small. The door was pushed open, to reveal the most beautiful thing Thalia had ever seen. No amount of candy displays at her job would ever amount to what was before her. Thalia walked in amazement as Mr a Wonka began speaking again.

"Now, do be careful my dear children. Don't lose your heads, don't get overexcited, Just keep very calm." Mr. Wonka warned. They all had a moment, each of them taking in the sight before them, everything looked positively amazing.

"It's beautiful." Thalia grinned, as she shared an equally amazed looked with her brother.

"What? Oh, yeah it's very beautiful." They began following Mr. Wonka down a trail, they were now walking beside a chocolate river, "Every drop of the river is hot melted chocolate of the finest quality. The waterfall is the most important, it mixes the chocolate churns it up, makes it light and frothy. By the way, no other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by a waterfall, my dear children. You can take that right to the bank."

The Bucket siblings were absolutely amazed by the things they were seeing, "I knew he had a chocolate river," Charlie laughed, joined in by his sister as they ran to catch up with the rest of the seemingly unimpressed group. How could they look so bored in a place like this? They were stopped before they could go too far, as Mr. Wonka began explaining the process of the giant tubes that had now begun sucking up chocolate for the river.

"And do you like the meadow? Try some of my grass. Please have a blade, please do. It's so delectable and so darn good looking."

"You can eat the grass?" Charlie asked, bringing the man's attention back to the pair he was most trying to avoid at the moment.

"Of course you can! Everything in this room is eatable. Even I'm eatable, but that is called cannibalism, my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies." After that choice of words, Mr. Wonka waves everyone off, Charlie wondered off from his sister, leaving her alone to walk around. If she were honest with herself she wasn't too sure if she could bring herself to eat anything, it all looked perfect the way it was. She approached one of the trees, where a bundle of candy apples hung from its branches.

"You're the only one not eating something, do you not like it?" Thalia jumped as someone spoke from behind her, she turned around to see Mr. Wonka watching her.

"Oh no it's not that, I'm afraid of touching anything. This feels sort of like a dream." Thalia blushed as she put her thoughts into words, it felt kind of silly to say them out loud. She couldn't find herself able to lie though, who wouldn't find something like this like a dream, surrounded by a room made of candy, and a man that now that she was closet to him had the most extraordinary purple eyes.

"Take a bite, I promise nothing will change." Thalia looked at his outstretched hand, he had plucked one of the shining red apples off the tree and was now offering it to her. She took it gratefully, thanking him as she took a bite, "What do you think?"

"It's amazing, I don't think I've ever had anything so delicious in my life," Thalia exclaimed as she couldn't help but take another bite. The taste was simply divine, a step up from her mother's cabbage soup, no offense to her mother of course. Willy could only smile as he watched her, at least it seemed that someone was genuinely enjoying the tour.

"Daddy, look over there!" Veruca yelled suddenly, bringing both adults out of their own little worlds, "What is it?" By now the young child's yelling had drawn everyone to regroup to see what she was pointing at, "It's a little person. Over there by the waterfall."

"Shall we return to the others?" Willy held out his hand, which then brunette took shyly as he helped her down the path, watching their steps carefully. Though when they were close enough to the others they pulled away, and Thalia walked back to her brother, offering the rest of the candy apple to him. From what she could see there was a small person, it appeared as though they were doing some sort of maintenance.

"There's two of them." Mrs. Beauregard said as she stepped a bit to close to Mr. Wonka.

"There's more than two." Mr. Teavee stated as he stepped up beside the artificially blonde woman.

"Who are they?" Charlie inquired as he watched the small people work, his face showing his genuine interest.

"Are they real people?" Mike asked, giving Thalia the desire to scoff, the small men were obviously real, but she had seen that the kid had no imagination anymore.

"Of course they're real people, they're Oompa-Loompas!" Willy said with a smile, watching his workers.

"Oompa Loompas?" Mr. Salt asked, obviously not believing or understanding what Mr. Wonka was talking about. Thalia was more intrigued than confused, the men were quite small, and she thought her brother was short, to begin with.

"Imported directly from Loompaland." He stared as if it were a fact, looking at the group, a majority of them seemed uninterested or just looking at him as if he were stupid.

"There's no such place," Mr. Teavee argued as he continued to stare at the small people, then where could they have possibly come from?

"What?" The way he said it, was odd almost snappy but still covered by false sincerity, Thalia had used the tone enough with customers who seemed to think they knew the stores stock better than she did.

"Mr. Wonka, I teach high school geography and I'm here to tell you-" Mr. Teavee didn't get a chance to finish his argument as the chocolatier interrupted him.

"Well, then you'll know all about it, and know what a terrible country is." Mr. Wonka said, as the father continued to believe this man before him was actually insane, "The whole place is nothing but a thick jungle, infested by the most dangerous beasts in the entire world: Hornswagglers, and Snozwangers, and those terrible wicked Wangdoodles. I went to Loompaland, looking for exotic new flavors for candy. Instead, I found the Oompa-Loompas. They lived in tree houses to escape from the fierce creatures who lived below. They ate nothing but green caterpillars, which tasted revolting. The Oompa-Loompas kept looking for other things to mash up with the caterpillars to make them taste better: red beetles, the bark of the bong-bong tree, all of them beastly but not quite as beastly as the caterpillars," He paused for a moment, seeming to shiver uncomfortably from the memory.

"But the food the longed for the most was the cocoa bean. An Oompa-Loompa was lucky if he found three or four cocoa beans a year, but oh how they craved them. All they'd ever think about was cocoa beans. The cocoa bean happens to be the thing from which chocolate is made, so I told the chief, come live in my factory, you can have all the cocoa beans you want! I will even pay your wages in cocoa beans if you wish. They agreed, and now they are such wonderful workers. Though I feel as though I must warn you, they are rather mischievous," As his story came to an end, they were all startled as Mrs. Gloop began yelling.

"Augustus my child, that is not a good thing to do!" Everyone turned to see the fat little boy dipping his hands into the chocolate river. Thalia cringed at the thought, as who knew where his hands had been.

"Hey, little boy! My chocolate must be untouched by human hands." Mr. Wonka yelled as the boy seemed to either not hear him or chose to ignore him as he began drinking handfuls of the melted chocolate. Then Augustus slipped, screaming as he fell into the river. Well, that's quite unappetizing. The parents gasped, as Mr. Wonka just closed his eyes and threw his head back, Thalia wondered if he had found a reason to already regret this tour idea.

"He'll drown!" Mrs. Gloop cried as Augustus resurfaced and began to splash around in the river, covered head to toe in hot melted chocolate, "He can't swim!" Mrs. Gloop approached the candy crafter, who at this point just looked mildly disappointed. Still, he didn't make a move to try and help the boy. Thalia watched as one of the transporting tubes approached where Augustus was currently drowning in chocolate. Mrs. Gloop continued yelling, as the tube began sucking up the chocolate creating a whirlpool. Augustus inevitably got caught in the current, making his mother panic even more. He was then sucked up into the tube, stuck for only a second before he began shooting up the tube.

"There he goes," Violet said.

"Call the fire brigade!" Mrs. Gloop screamed, if anything her yelling wasn't helping anybody, and if anyone should have been rushing to save him it should have been her.

"It's a wonder how that pipe is big enough." Mrs. Beauregard stated, her eyes wide as she watched the boy go up.

"It isn't big enough," Charlie spoke up, "He's slowing down."

"He's going to stick," Mike added, they were all watching now.

"Well, this is interesting," Thalia said, as Augustus finally came to a stop, blocking up the pipe.

"He's backed the whole pipe," Mr. Salt spoke, as he tilted his head back to look up at where August's now struggled in the tube. Thalia looked around though as she heard music began to play from somewhere, Charlie was the next to notice.

"Look! The Oompa-Loompas!" He said as he pointed to where the small men were working.

"Back off you little freaks!" Mike yelled, while Thalia just looked at the boy instead. That wasn't a very nice thing to say, honestly, at least Augustus just ate candy, she wished it was Mike stuck in the tube instead.

"What are they doing?" Veruca asked as she clung to her father's arm, her lollipop forgotten as she threw it on the ground.

"Why I believe they're going to treat us to a little song! It is quite a special occasion of course. They haven't had a fresh audience in many a moon." Thalia couldn't help but think back to the last musical number she had seen, the images of the burning stage still very fresh in her mind. She really hoped the Oompa-Loompas didn't catch on fire. They all then began singing.

Augustus Gloop! Augustus Gloop!  
The great big greedy nincompoop!  
Augustus Gloop!  
So big and vile  
So greedy, foul, and infantile

'Come on!' we cried, 'The time is ripe  
To send him shooting up the pipe!

But don't, dear children, be alarmed;  
Augustus Gloop will not be harmed,  
Augustus Gloop will not be harmed  
Although, of course, we must admit  
He will be altered quite a bit.

Slowly, the wheels go round and round,  
The cogs begin to grind and pound;  
We boil him for a minute more,  
Until we're absolutely sure

Then out he comes! And now! By grace!  
A miracle has taken place!  
A miracle has taken place!  
This greedy brute, this louse's ear,  
Is loved by people everywhere!  
For who could hate or bear a grudge  
Against a luscious bit of fudge?"

Mr. Wonka was the only one clapping as he cheered, Augustus now being transported away with tons of chocolate. Thalia had quiet enjoyed the song, "I do say that all seemed rather rehearsed." Mr. Salt said as he still stood frozen from confusion of what just happened.

"Like they knew what was going to happen," Mike added.

"Oh, poppycock!" Wonka muttered as he began walking away from the group.


	6. Chapter 6

Mrs. Gloop was escorted away by an Oompa-Loompa to the fudge room. They all watched as the large woman was tugged by the skirt of her dress, "Mr. Wonka, why would Augustus's name already be in the Oompa-Loompa song unless they...?" Charlie didn't get a chance to finish his thought as he was interrupted.

"Improvisation is a parlor trick. Anyone can do it," The man smiled before turning to look at Violet, "You, little girl, say something."

The little blonde still chomping away on the same piece of gum, unsurprisingly she immediately blurted out the word chewing gum. How anyone could simply keep a straight face through any of this, Thalia wouldn't know as she rested her hand on Charlie's shoulder. The other over her mouth as she waited to hear what was next.

"Chewing gum is really gross; chewing gum I hate the most," Mr. Wonka sang, looking back down at Charlie, "See? Exactly the same."

Thalia wouldn't lie, it wasn't entirely the same as the Oompa-Loompas song, but she enjoyed none the less.

"No, it isn't," Mike argued, the little hacker seemingly unamused by Mr. Wonka's efforts to entertain them.

"Uh, you really shouldn't mumble, because I can't understand a word you're saying." The candy maker stated, causing Thalia to really try to keep herself from laughing. Charlie was as well stuck in a similar state. Once again it was being brought to light that someone should have been there to watch the young woman as well.

"Now on with the tour." The man stated, adjusting his hold on his cane before walking forward back on the small trail. The rest of the group pushed forward, meaning Thalia and Charlie had to wait for them to keep themselves from being pushed over.

"Are the Oompa-Loompas really joking, Leah?" Charlie asked, sparing a glance at his sister as he walked.

"Of course their joking, there's no way they could have known." Thalia smiled, as she ushered Charlie forward. It seemed they were under threat of being left behind by the rest of the group, making them speed up their walking. 

Soon they had reached the edge of the chocolate river, where the sound of beating drums echoed throughout the room. Thalia gaped as a pinkish colored boat, with the head of what appeared to be a seahorse floated in front of them. The Oompa-Loompas rowing the boat begin to laugh at the group before them. The act was a bit unnerving to her.

"What's so funny?" Violey inquired, she wasn't the only one wanting to know.

"I think it's from all those doggone cocoa beans," Mr Wonka stated before his face brightened up as if he had just remembered something, "Hey, by the way, did you guys know that chocolate contains a property that triggers the release of endorphins? Gives one the feeling of being in love." He explained, as the kids simply stared at him, obviously having no idea what the word endorphins meant or was. Though Violet's mother was taking the nice fact in an entirely different direction.

"You don't say," The older version of Violet smiled flirtatiously making Mr Wonka's face instantly turn into one of regret.

"All aboard." He quickly began ushering everyone onto the boat. Thalia was careful as she stepped aboard, holding onto Charlie's hand to help him get on. She sat down in the last row with Charlie, and she didn't entirely know why out of all the other seats Mr Wonka chose to join them.

Soon the boat began moving down the river, and the ominous drums began once again, Thalia was still latched onto Charlie's hand.

"Here try this, it'll do you some good." Thalia was taken by surprise as a large ladle was held in front of her face, but not wanting to be rude she took it, taking a sip of the melted chocolate. The taste was wonderful, flowing smoothly as she drank.

"It tastes amazing," She grinned, gently passing the spoon to Charlie so he could try some as well.

"That's because it's mixed by waterfall. The waterfall is most important. It mixes the chocolate, churns it up, makes it light and frothy. Uh, by the way, no other factory in the world m..."

"You already said that," Veruca stated, as everyone turned to look at Mr Wonka. The man having been interrupted sat back in his seat, his glove squeaking as he retracted his hand placing it in his lap. 

"You're all quite short, aren't you?" He inquired, eyeing the children before him.

"Well, yeah. We're children."

"She's not a child, and she's still short," Mr Wonka argued, as he motioned to Thalia sitting beside him, which in turn caused the girl to grow scarlet as everyone turned their attention to her for a moment "Plus that's no excuse. I was never as short as you."

"You were once." Mike huffed as he still held the same unamused look on his face. Through all this, Thalia though this was such an odd conversation to have, though it was amusing all the same.

"Was not! Know why? Because I distinctly remember putting a hat on top my head. Look at your short little arms, you could never reach." Thalia giggled at the argument, only to have the attention on her again.

"Must be the chocolate," She shrugged.

"Do you even remember what it was like being a kid?" Charlie spoke up, causing his sister to turn to look at him. It wasn't very kind to ask someone you just met about their personal life.

"Oh, boy, do I," Mr. Wonka smiled, but it fell quickly, "Do I?" It seemed as though he had remembered something once again like he had in the entrance. Thalia assumed it was possibly a memory, another reason you don't ask strangers about their history.

She was willing to allow the man to have a moment to collect himself and pull himself out of whatever had a hold on him. Except when they began to approach a dark tunnel, she couldn't help but wonder if this was the way they were supposed to be going.

"Mr. Wonka? Mr. Wonka?" She didn't receive an answer by simply calling his name, so she reached out to tap his shoulder, and upon doing so the man was instantly brought back to reality as he turned to look at her, "Sorry, it's just we're heading towards a tunnel."

"Oh, yeah, uh full speed ahead!" The drums picked up once again as they entered the dark tunnel.

"How can they see where they're going?" Violet asked.

"They can't." Was the most simple, and unnerving answer they could've gotten today, "There's no knowing where they're going. Switch on the lights!" As soon as the lights turned on the boat was instantly falling quickly. The fall was short, but Thalia couldn't help but be startled possibly squeezing Charlie's hand just a bit too tight. Wait, Charlie was sitting on her other side...

"Oh...I..er I'm sorry." She didn't know how or when, but rather than holding her brother's hand she had grabbed Mr. Wonka's. She was quick to pull away, her face on fire as she angled her body in the opposite direction in her seat.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked, previously entranced by the space they were now in, the boy was brought out of his daydreaming by his sister's sudden movement.

"Me? Oh yeah, perfectly fine. Never better." She didn't see the chocolatiers reaction, nor did she want to, though it seemed he wasn't going to be dwelling on the moment as much as she was.

"People, keep an eye out. We're passing some very important rooms here." Thalia somewhat over her embarrassment took in her surroundings. There were large doors lining the walls, with large neon letters stating what each room was meant for. Clotted Cream, Coffee Cream, Hair Cream? She was a bit put off by the last one.

"What do you use hair cream for?" Mrs. Beauregarde asked as she turned in her seat.

"To lock in moisture," Mr. Wonka answered, letting out a small laugh.

They then passed a room where a group of Oompa-Loompas were currently whipping a cow, "Whipped Cream!" Charlie grinned, finding the scene a bit amusing.

"Precisely!"

"That doesn't make sense," Veruca sneered, well it made sense to Thalia and obviously to Charlie.

"For your information little girl, whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all unless it's been whipped with whips. Everybody knows that." Thalia wouldn't usually agree with someone glaring at a child, but when it came to this small group she couldn't exactly argue the act. No one spoke again after that, and soon enough the boat began to rock around and speed up as the chocolate river pushed them forward. She's was going to make sure she grabbed Charlie's hand this time but was stopped by someone grabbing her own.

"You never get used to these tunnels," Was the excuse she was given, as she held onto the man's hand. Just like before the boat returned to its calm voyage in another open area, walls lined with more rooms.

"Stop the boat! I want to show you guys something," He spoke excitedly as he turned his head to look at Thalia, grinning the whole time. Slowly the boat stopped in front of a room labeled, Inventing Room. Everyone was quick to scramble off the boat, excited to see what awaited them. Thalia blushed once again when she found herself still holding hands with Mr. Wonka, who was kind enough to help her and Charlie step off the boat after him. 

 

Though having to return back to the tour at hand, Thalia let go and fell back with her brother who was giving her a look, "Why are you looking at me like that?" She whispered, leaning down so she could hear her brother.

"You were holding hands."

"He was just helping me off the boat."

"But you held hands practically the whole time."

She didn't have much of an argument for that, so to end the arguement by straightning herself and following the group into the room as the door opened. Sometimes she wished her brother wasn't so observant, because it would have made this less embarrassing. There was no possible way that anything could happen between her and the candy maker. Never.


	7. Chapter 7

Thalia wasn't sure when her families misfortune had first begun, it had been something that had followed them long before her grandfather had lost his job. She assumed it was just a family curse of some strange sort, and she believed herself when her thoughts reminded her of this ill luck that as a Bucket she carried around with her. Her family had always been one close to the edge of poverty, it had been her grandfather's lack of work that had pushed them all over the line, and all her childhood she could recall telling her mother every day that she too would get a job. She would be the one to get her brother through all the years of his schooling when her mother grew to busy in sewing and mending clothes that they themselves could only dream of owning. 

Yet, one could only make so much at a toothpaste factory, so little to be made as a seamstress, and not much better luck at the candy store. It had only been with the recent series of events that Thalia was sure that Charlie was different than the rest of them. He knew they were poor, but his attitude never changed, he still carried his youthfulness, his childish hope that she herself adored. He had been awarded the luck, the last golden ticket of course. What were the chances of that, the winning action that had Thalia convinced. Her brother was one of a kind, and it was only through this tour that she would begin to see it show itself more. 

Though for now, Thalia followed her brother throughout the vast room they had arrived at. There were countless machines working around her, and for some, it was harder to see just what exactly their purpose was. Charlie's hold on her wrist prevented her from going very far to explore her own curiosity.

"Hey, Mr. Wonka! What's this?" Interested in whatever it was Violet had yelled for, Charlie tugged his sister along until they had all once again rejoined as a group. 

"These are everlasting gobstoppers," Mr. Wonka stated after an Oompa-Loompa emerged from a large tank and handing him a piece of the candy, "They're for children who are given very little allowance money. You can suck it all year, and it'll never get any smaller." The purple-clad man explained further, seeming to appear quite proud of himself in this invention. 

"It's like gum," Violet stated, unironically still chomping away at the same piece of gum for the last hour an a half. 

"No," Seemingly disgusted by the idea, he continued, "Gum is for chewing, and if you tried chewing one of these gobstoppers, you'd break all your little teeth off." Both Violet and Veruca stared at the man, appearing unamused, as an awkward silence followed for a few moments afterward. 

Eventually, they all began to move forward, both Thalia and Charlie being pushed towards the back, but not before Thalia received a cold glare from Mrs. Beauregard. Why was the woman mad at her for? She hadn't even spoken a word to the woman. 

They received a short introduction to a still-developing candy, hair toffee, followed by some cringe-worthy statements made by Mr. Wonka. She would have laughed, just by the looks the children were giving him, parents included, but she managed for once to keep it to herself. No one could move on quick enough. 

Then the group approached another large machine, Mr. Wonka stepped up onto a small platform surrounded by a questionable number of levers, his eyes scanned the group, before looking at Thalia, "Watch this."

He pulled one of the levers, grinning like a child as a series of alarms blared, and the loud sound of steam being released filled the air. The candy maker was quick to return to the group, their gazes following as the machine began to move. Now Thalia would be lying if she said she hadn't been expecting something a bit more spontaneous. Though that didn't make her any less intrigued by the small stick of gum. 

"You mean that's it?" Mike huffed, glaring at Mr. Wonka.

"Do you even know what 'it' is?" The older man fired back.

"It's gum," Violet spoke up from beside Thalia and Charlie, she had already snatched the piece of candy, her chomping still ungodly loud, and Thalia wondered if she was allowed to punch a child.

"Yeah, it's a stick of the most amazing and sensational gum in the whole universe. Know why?" He appeared pleasantly excited about this invention, that he really didn't give anyone a chance to give their ideas before he continued, "Cause this gum is a full three-course dinner all by itself." Everyone, including the adults, looked back at Violet who was still holding the piece of gum.

"Why would anyone want that?" Mr. Salt questioned as he looked back at Mr. Wonka.

"Uh...uh..." The man stuttered, before digging into the inside pocket of his coat, pulling out the series of note cards he had been holding when they had first begun the tour. He flipped through a couple before he smiled after finding the right one. 

"It'll be the end of all kitchens and all cooking. Just a little strip of Wonka's magic chewing gum and that is all you will ever need for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This piece of gum happens to be tomato soup, roast beef, and blueberry pie." Mr. Wonka smiled, looking back up at the touring group, tucking the note cards back into his coat.

"It sounds great," Charlie stated, looking back at his sister who agreed.

"It sounds weird," Veruca added.

"It sounds like my kind of gum," Violet smirked, as she took the gum out of her mouth, and in a cringe of disgust from the others, place it behind her ear. 

"I-I'd rather you didn't. There are still one or two things that are a little-" Despite him trying to warn her, Violet seemed determined to do whatever she wanted.

"I am the world record holder in chewing gum. I'm not afraid of anything." She then proceeded to shove the gum into her mouth. 

"How is it, honey?" Mrs. Beauregard asked, smiling down at her daughter.

"It's amazing, tomato soup! I can feel it running down my throat!"

"Yeah. Spit it out." Mr. Wonka demanded again, but the blonde continued to chew away.

"Violet, I really think you should-" Thalia tried to speak up, but she might as well had not been there with the lack of attention Violet was giving anyone. Thalia could only stand and watch with a worried expression as the girl describe the change in flavor. Charlie stood wide-eyed, his hand still wrapped tightly within his sisters. 

"Keep chewing, kiddo. My little girl's gonna be the first person in the world to have a chewing gum meal." Mrs. Beauregard stated smugly, sending another glare at Thalia who stood beside her. 

"Yeah, I'm just a little concerned about the..."

"Blueberry pie, and ice cream!" Violet exclaimed, interrupting Mr. Wonka once again. The man in questioned winced as she spoke.

"That part."

"What's happening to her nose!" Veruca gasped, as Thalia leaned forward to see the Violet's nose was, in fact, beginning to turn...well violet. 

"Your whole nose has gone purple!" Mrs. Beauregard said as she turned her daughter to face her, "Violet, you're turning violet!" The older woman cried, "What's happening!?" Simultaneously everyone turned to Mr. Wonka for an answer.

"Well, I told you I hadn't quite gotten it right, cause it goes a little funny when it gets to the dessert. It's the blueberry pie that does it. I'm terribly sorry," He stated, as he hid behind the gum making machine. Everyone watched as Violet's whole body began to turn purple. Thalia grabbed Charlie by his shoulders and began stepping backward with everyone else. 

"Mother, what's happening to me?" 

Thalia gaped as the girl began swelling up, they all continued to unconsciously step away, "I can't believe it, she's swelling up." Mr. Teevee muttered as he pushed his son backward.

"Like a blueberry," Charlie added as Violet continued to grow twenty times her original size. 

"I've tried it on, like, 20 Oompa-Loompas, and each one ended up like a blueberry. It's just weird." Mr. Wonka explained, after appearing behind Violet's mother randomly, giving them all an equal amount of surprise. 

"But I can't have a blueberry for a daughter! How is she supposed to compete."

"You could put her in a country fair," Veruca laughed, and she really didn't want to find it amusing in the slightest, Thalia had to put her hand over her mouth and turn her head to look away. 

It was then that another round of music began to pick up, Thalia turned to see a group of Oompa-Loompas appear and moved to stand in front of Violet the blueberry child. They then began to sing, another song. 

"Yeah, yeah

Listen close, and listen hard  
To the tale of Violet Beauregarde.   
The gentle girl she sees no wrong  
In chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing  
Chewing, chewing all day long

Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long  
Yeah"

The Oompa-Loompa's began pushing the poor girl, she rolled around easily, and as they continued to sing, the jumped and bounced as if Violet were nothing but a simply trampoline. 

 

"She goes on chewing till at last

Her chewing muscles grow so vast   
And from her face her giant chin  
Sticks out just like a violin

Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long

For years and years, she chews away  
Her jaws get stronger every day  
And with one great tremendous chew  
They bite the poor girl's tongue in two  
And that is why we try so hard  
To save Miss Violet Beauregarde

Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing all day long  
Chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing  
Chewing, chewing all day long"

They had opened a large circle like door and had begun to push Violet through it. Mrs. Beauregarde stormed over to Mr. Wonka who had previously been dancing, but as he glanced over at the angry mother his smile faltered and he stopped dancing. 

"I want you to roll Miss. Beauregarde into the boat and take her along to the juicing room at once!" Mr. Wonka instructed an Oompa-Loompa.

"The juicing room!? What are they going to do to her there?"

'Uh....they're going to squeeze her, like a little pimple. We gotta squeeze all that juice out of her immediately."

Mrs. Beauregarde let out a small cry, as she shuffled forward to follow the Oompa-Loompas that were rolling her daughter away in the long metal pipe. Once the mother and daughter were gone, Mr. Wonka was quick to get the tour moving once again.


	8. Chapter 8

"Without the boat, we'll have to move double time, just to keep on schedule." Mr. Wonka explained, the remaining families followed briskly behind him, "There's far too much to see." Charlie had joined Veruca and Mike at the front of the group, while Thalia trailed behind Mr. Salt, and Mr. Teevee. She couldn't say she liked them any more than she liked their children, but luckily neither tried to include them in whatever it was they were talking about.

"Mr. Wonka?" Charlie spoke up, as he managed to keep in stride with the chocolatier.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you decide to let people in?" The question had only been burning a hole in the back of his mind since this whole ordeal had started. Of course, some influence may have come from his grandfather's personal stories, but curiosity was often known to overcome the boy.

"Oh, so they could see the factory, of course."

"But why now, and why only five?" Charlie questioned further but was easily pushed to the side as Mike grew greedy.

"What's the special prize, and who gets it?"

"The best kind of prize is a surprise." Mr. Wonka laughed, as Mike was in turn physically shoved out of the way by Veruca. Were children always this rude? Thalia couldn't quite recall if they had been, but from past endeavors of the last few weeks showed that children were often prone to such unfavorable outbursts.

"Will Violet always be a blueberry?" The rich girl inquired.

"No. Maybe. I don't know, but that's what you get for chewing gum all day. It's just disgusting."

"If you hate gum so much, why do you make it?" Mike complained, Thalia thought that was just good marketing, but she didn't share her thoughts out loud.

"Once again, you really shouldn't mumble, 'cause it's starting to bum me out," Wonka stated, obviously choosing to ignore that last comment, or simply trying to refrain from having to answer it.

"Do you remember the first candy you ever ate?" Charlie asked, and as the words seemed to register with Mr. Wonka the man suddenly stopped walking. The man was simply staring into space, and no one was really sure how to go about themselves.

Eventually, he seemed to collect himself, "I'm sorry, I was having a flashback."

"I see." Mr. Salt said as he grabbed his daughter, carefully pulling her back away from the man.

"Do these flashbacks happen often?" Mr. Teevee questioned.

"Increasingly, today." He let out a small laugh, before quickly walking away. They had no other choice but to follow him. After a few more minutes of walking, they approached a door labeled 'Nut sorting room'

"Ah, this is a room I know all about, for you see, Mr. Wonka I myself am in the nut business," Mr. Salt mused, as he pulled out what Thalia assumed was a business card and handed it to the man, who quickly threw it behind him, "Are you using the Havimax 4000 to do your sorting?"

"No. You're really weird." He laughed as he moved to open the door to the room. The door opened to reveal a light blue and white interior, and as the piled in after followed Mr. Wonka to a railing that looked down on the large room. Thalia had to take a second to register what she was seeing, in a large circle formation were over what she could estimate to be around a hundred squirrels. Each sat perched on their own stools, opening and sorting through their own nuts. 

"Squirrels!" Veruca grinned, as she looked at the cute animals below her.

"Yeah, squirrels. These squirrels are specially trained to get the nuts out of their shells." Mr. Wonka boasted as Thalia and Charlie spoke quietly amongst themselves.

"They're awfully cute, what do you think Ma would think?" She mused as Charlie shook his head.

"She'd have both our heads if we even thought about that, do you not remember the stray cat from last year?" Charlie pointed out, Thalia hummed in agreement, recalling the tabby cat she had tried to adopt and train almost a year ago. It had, had only one eye, and was missing half of one ear, it had been a nasty little thing, but that hadn't kept Thalia from trying to love it. Though eventually, it escaped, and her mother couldn't have been happier for it to be gone. Charlie giggled, as he to recalled the same memory.

"Why use squirrels? Why not Oompa-Loompas?" Mr. Salt wondered, the start of conversations drawing the Bucket siblings out of their own world.

"Because only squirrels can get the whole walnut out almost every single time." Mr. Wonka clarified, "You see how they tap each one with their little knuckles, to make sure it's not bad? Oh, oh, look!"

He had pointed at one particular squirrel, drawing everyone's attention to it, "I think that one's got a bad nut." He was right in his assumption, as the squirrel threw the walnut behind him, and it rolled down to the center of the room where a large whole awaited to swallow it.

"Daddy, I want a squirrel. Get me one of those squirrels. I want one." Veruca demanded, looking up at her father.

"Veruca, dear, you have many marvelous pets."

"All I've got at home is one pony and two dogs and four cats and six bunny rabbits and two parakeets, and three canaries and a green parrot, and a turtle and a silly old hamster! I want a squirrel!" Veruca ranted, by the end, Thalia was wondering who would ever let a child turn out like this, the only pet she ever had was that one-eyed cat she had named Tinkles because she was so well with names.

"Alright, pet. Daddy will get you a squirrel just as soon as he possibly can."

"But I don't want any old squirrel. I want a trained squirrel!" Veruca continued her list of commands, and Thalia felt some kind of pity for the poor father, though it was his fault his own daughter was a little brat.

"Very well. Mr. Wonka? How much do you want for one of those squirrels? Name your price."

Veruca looked up at the man, giving her best charming smile, but it sort of just made Thalia uncomfortable. The two siblings shared a look, before looking back at the others.

"Uh, they're not for sale. She can't have one." He smiled as he spoke, obviously not caring for the dark look that now crossed Veruca's face.

"Daddy!" Veruca snapped her attention back to her father.

"I'm sorry, darling. Mr. Wonka is being unreasonable." Mr. Wonka had spoke, in a seemingly spot-on impression of Mr. Salt. Thalia giggled, Charlie joining in, along with Mike who had been quite beside his father up until then.

"If you won't get me a squirrel, I'll get one myself!" Veruca stated as she easily slipped through the railing, beginning her descent down the flight of blue painted stairs.

"Veruca!"

"Little girl?"

"Veruca, come back here at once!" Mr. Salt called for his daughter, but the words fell on deaf ears, as the brown-haired girl walked along the floor, looking at the squirrels around her. Then seeming to find the one, she made a beeline for a squirrel busy and working away. As she did, all the squirrels simultaneously stopped their work, turning to look at the little girl.

"Little girl? Hey, don't touch that squirrel's nuts! It'll make him crazy!" Mr. Wonka called, Thalia thought it best to keep in context with what was currently going on, taking anything out was a bit of a thought.

"I'll have you!" Veruca grinned as she stopped in front of a squirrel perched at the end of a row. Though as she reached for the squirrel it quickly lept off its seat, the rest following suit.

"Veruca!" Mr. Salt shook the gate, learning quickly it was locked, he looked at Mr. Wonka who just looked surprised before pulling out a large key ring with far too many keys on it. The squirrels were surrounding Veruca now, jumping on her clothes as she screamed. She was almost to the stairs when a group of squirrels jumped on her, causing her to fall over.

Thalia gasped, as she looked over at the chocolatier, he was still searching through his key ring. He tried one, but it didn't work, and she couldn't help but feel suspicious in the amount of time it was taking him to find the right key.

"Daddy!"

Veruca was yelling, when the squirrels began to pin her down by her arms and legs. Surely the squirrels wouldn't harm her, Mr. Wonka didn't seem too worried then again she supposed he hadn't been too panicked about Augustus and Violet. Thalia looked back at Veruca, as a squirrel jumped onto her chest, it sniffed before knocking on her forehead.

"What are they doing?" Charlie asked.

"They're testing to see if she's a bad nut." Mr. Wonka explained, which was followed by a loud squeak from the squirrel, "Oh my, she is a bad nut after all."

The squirrels then began to lift Veruca up and carried her in the direction of the large hole in the center of the room.

"Where are they taking her?"

"Where all the bad nuts go, to the garbage chute." Thalia wasn't sure if it was supposed to come off as eerily cold as it did, but she did feel bothered by the mans response.

"Where does the chute go?"

"To the incinerator," Mr. Wonka said, oddly calm considering the girl that was about to take a trip down the garbage chute, "But don't worry, we only light it on Tuesdays."

"Today is Tuesday!" Mike chimed in.

"Well, there's always a chance they decided not to light it today." Mr. Wonka tried to be optimistic, but his smile faltered by the look he was receiving from the worry stricken father.  
Veruca let out one last scream as the squirrels allowed her to fall down the garbage chute. The squirrels instantly went back to their work.

"Now, she may be stuck in the chute, just below the top. If that's the case, all you have to do is just reach in and pull her out. Okay?"

Mr. Salt simply nodded, as Mr. Wonka easily found the right key, successfully unlocking the gate. For the third time that day, music began to fill the room. As Mr. Salt began his descent, a group of Oompa-Loompas dressed in yellow jumpsuits walked across the floor.

Veruca Salt, the little brute,  
Has just gone down the garbage chute,  
(And as we very rightly thought  
That is a case like this we ought  
To see the thing completely through,  
We've polished off her parents, too.)

Down goes Veruca! Down the drain!  
And here, perhaps, we should explain  
That she will meet, as she descends,  
A rather different set of friends  
To those that she has left behind–  
These won't be nearly so refined.  
A fish head, for example, cut  
This morning from a halibut.

'Hello! Good morning! How d'you do?  
How nice to meet you! How are you?'  
And then a little further down  
A mass of others gather round:  
A bacon rind, some rancid lard,  
A loaf of bread gone stale and hard,  
A steak that nobody could chew,  
An oyster from an oyster stew,  
Some liverwurst so old and gray

One smelled it from a mile away,  
A rotten nut, a reeky pear,  
A thing the cat left on the stair,  
And lots of other things as well,  
Each with a rather horrid smell.  
These are Veruca's new found friends  
That she will meet as she descends,

Who would have spoiled her,   
Ah, who indeed?  
Who pandered to her every need?  
Who turned her into such a brat?  
Who are the culprits? The guilty ones,  
(and this is very sad)  
Her loving parents, MUM and DAD."

As the song came to a close, Mr. Salt was bending over to peer into the garbage chute when a squirrel ran forward, jumping up and successfully pushing the older man forward. With a loud cry, the man fell down the chute, on his way to join his daughter.


End file.
